LCO Update

JUNE, 2025

The Colorado Department of Early Childhood has announced the Universal Preschool Program rates for the 2025–2026 school year. Providers can now log into the Program Portal to review the updated rates and plan accordingly.

Monthly Information Sessions Hosted by DPP

There won’t be a Town Hall in June. Please reach out to diana@dpp.org to set up an individual zoom meeting if needed. 

Denver Preschool Program is hiring a Program Specialist – Universal Preschool Program (UPK). This is a part-time (20-25 hours/week) position to assist the Senior Program Manager – UPK in providing technical assistance and customer service to Denver families and providers related to DPP’s role as the Local Coordinating Organization (LCO) for the Universal Preschool Colorado (UPK) program for Denver.

The Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) will host standing office hours to support Colorado UPK providers. Office hours will be held on the First Tuesday of each month from 6:00 PM-7:00 PM

Meeting link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83557451399

Provider Agreement Office Hours on Thursday June 19th have been cancelled due to the Juneteenth Holiday.

A bug in the UPK portal is affecting the Hours Per Week (HPW) column in the provider enrollment report. CDEC is working with their vendor to get this resolved as soon as possible. 

If the value in the Family Supplemental Hours Awarded column is “TRUE,” the child’s eligibility for 30 hours has been verified and the family has/will soon be notified. Any other value or lack of value means they are not yet verified as eligible for 30 hours. 

Please note: as part of the bug CDEC is working on, you may notice that some date columns for Supplemental Hours Award Date may be empty. This does not mean eligibility has been taken away. 

Verification for supplemental hours may take 4-6 weeks to complete. 

Per the 2025/26 Provider Agreement programs have to list the out of pocket cost related to non-UPK hours on their provider profile in the UPK portal.

To update your profile:

Charging tuition for any hours covered by a UPK rate is forbidden by state law, regulation, and contract. Section 26.5-4-204(3)(a) instructs that providers provide "the number of hours of preschool services established by department rule." UPK Regulation also provides that "Participating providers must agree to guarantee families at least the minimum number of hours defined in rule for the per-child rate that is provided." This requirement is also restated in the Contract, in Exhibit A, Terms and Conditions, the Program Requirements section, paragraph 3.

Many providers are waiting for the DocuSign with the actual agreement. Please note the department is delayed in getting these out. 

Complete the 2025-26 Colorado Universal Preschool Program - Provider Interest Form first.
Note: The form will give you an error message if you try to complete it more than once or if you use the same email address

This Interest Form will guide providers through questions that will determine their Colorado Secretary of State registration requirements, insurance requirements, and will act as the system of record for affirmation of acceptance of the terms of the agreement.

The submission of this Google form is required for all providers, and will capture all of the items required for contract execution.

If you are struggling with submission of this form due to document uploads please email:

Elizabeth Wallace at elizabeth.d.wallace@state.co.us

UPK Colorado Provider Handbook

UPK Colorado Family Handbook

Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) Website - Provider Information

Sign up for CDEC UPK Newsletter

UPK Colorado Feedback Form

DPP appreciates your cooperation and support as we work together to facilitate smooth enrollment processes. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Diana Herrera, DPP's UPK Program Manager, at diana@dpp.org.

DPP's 2025-26 application is now available! Denver families can apply for both UPK Colorado and DPP tuition credits with participating providers! DPP credits are available to all Denver families with a 4-year-old in a participating preschool, regardless of income.

As your LCO, DPP is committed to helping our providers navigate the Colorado UPK enrollment process. Visit our FAQ page for answers to the most frequently asked questions, or email denverupk@dpp.org.

Find a Preschool

DPP's Impact

UPK Colorado Website

303-595-4377

denverupk@dpp.org